Lark Powers

Applied piano lessons, keyboard lab, and accompanying

In demand as a solo and collaborative artist as well as an adjudicator and presenter, Dr. Lark Powers has performed at such venues as Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, the 92nd Street Y in New York City and at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Internationally she has been heard in Europe, Mexico and Canada, including performances at the International Festival of Spanish Keyboard Music in Almería, Spain, the Simón Bolívar Amphitheater in Mexico City, and the Bibliothèque de Dinan, in Brittany, France.

Pursuing a dual career as pianist and harpsichordist, Dr. Powers has performed with ensembles including the Washington Idaho Symphony, the Fort Collins Symphony, the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, Boulder’s Seicento Baroque Ensemble, and the Peabody Chamber Players (under the direction of Leon Fleisher). Recent solo performances include repeat appearances at Estes Park Music Festival Winter Series in Colorado, performing at the College Music Society 2017 conference in Vancouver, B.C., a performance at the Oklahoma Music Teachers’ Association 2016 State Conference, and frequent two-piano concerts as part of the duo she forms with pianist Ricardo de la Torre.

Lark was born in California and grew up studying the piano and the violin. She received a DMA in piano performance from the University of Colorado Boulder and holds three Master’s degrees—in piano, harpsichord and theory pedagogy—and a graduate performance diploma in piano, all from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Her undergraduate studies took place at the University of the Pacific, where she was the recipient of a prestigious Presser Award and earned her degree summa cum laude. Following her studies at UOP, Lark lived in France for three years where she attended the Conservatoire National de Région de Paris “Hector Berlioz” and received a Premier prix in piano.

An active teacher, she joins Pacific Lutheran University where she runs the group keyboard program, teaches applied lessons and accompanying. Previously, she taught piano at Washington State University, as well as instructing ear-training and collaborating with the opera department. Prior to coming to WSU, Dr. Powers served on the faculty of East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma as Assistant Professor of Piano where she led the piano area and taught music theory. She has also been on the faculty of the Preparatory Division of the Peabody Institute and served as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Colorado.

Interested in scholarship, Dr. Powers has presented on topics including managing performance anxiety, the influence of the great pianist Ricardo Viñes, and birdsong depictions in piano music. She is a proponent of new music, and has recently given the Latin American premiere of Mark Janello’s Concerto for Two. Recent presentations include the 2017 WSMTA state conference where she presented on pedagogical considerations of Baroque keyboard repertoire, and the 2017 CMS conference in Vancouver where she spoke about the piano music of Arvo Pärt.

Influential teachers include pianists Andrew Cooperstock, Seth Knopp, Adam Wibrowski, and Frank Wiens, and harpsichordists Adam Pearl and Elizabeth Farr. Lark also participated in numerous masterclasses, including those of Emile Naoumoff, Stephen Hough and Webb Wiggins.